Coiling machine for coiling wire mesh



Jan. 28, 1969 A. SACKL I comm; momma FOR comma WIRE was Sheet Filed Nov. 15, 1966 INVENTOR: A): seal? ATTORNEY Filed Nov. 15. 1966 J 6 A. SACKL 3,423,982

COILING MACHINE FOR COILING WIRE MESH INVENTOR:

In: ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 72-148 Int. Cl. Bllc 47/12; B65h 23/08 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coiling machine for wire mesh has a mandrel, and a gripper carrying applicator that includes a braking device; during coiling, the applicator presses the mesh towards the mandrel, and the grippers are moved by the coiling wire mesh; when the braking device retards the movement of the grippers, they will tension the wire mesh.

Lengths of wire mesh for reinforcing concrete or the like, consisting of wires extending longitudinally and transversely bonded together at the crossing points preferably by welding are often manufactured in long lengths which are then coiled on coiling mandrels of coiling machines to form cylindrical rolls. It is of course desirable in this operation to coil the mesh as closely as possible in order to keep the diameter of the resulting roll of mesh as small as possible, so as to obtain in transport the most favorable ratio of mass to volume.

In the known coiling machines for this purpose the length of wire mesh is pushed inwards towards the coiling mandrel during the coiling process by means of cylindrical rollers whose axes extend parallel to the axis of the driven coiling mandrel. The thrust required can be supplied by mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic devices.

These coiling machines are fairly simple in construction, but are not entirely satisfactory in operation because a simple pushing of the mesh inwards towards the coiling mandrel produces only moderately compact rolls, moreover each time a transverse wire passes over the thrust roller the mesh is subjected to an abrupt pull.

It is among the principal aims of the instant invention to overcome these disadvantages of previous coiling machines. The instant invention provides for a coiling machine for coiling wire mesh with a power-driven coiling mandrel and an applicator device which presses the mesh inwards towards the coiling mandrel during the coiling operation. The applicator device has at least one endless coherent series of grippers capable of travelling around an endless closed path, the grippers projecting, along a part of the path, into the path of movement of the transverse wires of the wire mesh being coiled, with the result that the grippers are dragged along by the transverse wires. The grippers have a device for restraining their movement around the path so that they act to tension the wire mesh as it is coiled.

The fact that the wire mesh is not only pressed inwards towards the coiling mandrel during the coiling operation but is simultaneously tensioned in its movement has the result that the power-driven coiling mandrel works against a constant and preferably adjustable resistance which keeps the wire mesh compact in its coil. In this way it is possible to produce considerably more dense rolls than those hitherto produced.

The applicator device of the coiling machine according to the invention may consist of an applicator roller equipped with a brake and having around its periphery one or more closed series of grippers. However the series of grippers is preferably in the form of a hooked chain 3,423,982 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 extending around a braking chain wheel and a spring loaded tensioning wheel, the arrangement being such that there is always a part of the hooked chain resting in contact with the coil of mesh, and engaging with its grippers or, hooks against the transverse wires of the mesh, this part of the chain being capable of deforming to suit the increasing diameter of the coil of wire mesh during the progress of the coiling operation. In this way the number of transverse wires which are at any instant engaged by the grippers or hooks is greater than where but a roller is used and thus the shear stress applied to the individual welded crossing points is decreased. For the same reason there are preferably two or more series of grippers distributed across the width of the mesh, and these series of grippers may be adjustable in position across the width of the mesh to suit different widths of mesh.

An example of a coiling machine constructed in accordance with the invention in illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation partly in section showing the machine at the instant when the leading end of a length of wire mesh has been moved along the surface of a guide plate and has entered an anchoring slot in the coiling mandrel;

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding side elevation partly in section showing the machine later in the coiling operation; and,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view partly in section of the machine.

The coiling machine has a mandrel 18 mounted to rotate in a frame of the machine and driven by a motor which is not shown in the drawing. The mandrel has an anchoring slot 23 into which the leading end of a length of wire mesh 24 is pushed, in the direction of the arrow P by a wire mesh welding machine or the like. The coiling mandrel 18 then rotates in the direction of the arrow P1 and thus begins coiling the wire mesh on to itself.

Underneath the coiling mandrel 18 there are two or more endless hooked chains 1 with grippers or hooks 1a. The hooked chains 1 run parallel to each other, between two chain wheels 2, 3. The chain wheels 2 are mounted on restrainer shafts 4. Each chain wheel 2 acts as a braking chain wheel and is frictionally connected to the hooked chain 1 and to the restrainer shaft 4. The second chain wheel 3 is a tensioner wheel and is mounted freely rotatably on one end of a two-armed forked lever 5, whose other arm is spring loaded by a compression spring 6. The two-armed lever 5 is pivotally mounted in a chain wheel housing 7 against which the spring 6 acts. The chain wheel housings 7 are themselves pivotally mounted on the re strainer shafts 4 and are movable axially along these shafts to adjust the positions of the chains 1 and the grippers 1a axially of the mesh coil.

Each chain wheel 2 has its own restrainer shaft 4 and the two restrainer shafts 4 are co-axial with each other. Each restrainer shaft 4 is mounted in a bearing in one end of a two-armed applicator lever 8, which is mounted pivotally on a shaft 9.

It is preferable to mount each chain wheel 2. on its own restrainer shaft 4, as described above, in order to ensure that all the chain hooks 1a engage evenly with the transverse wires of the mesh.

When the length of wire mesh is being wound on the coiling mandrel 18 the chains 1 are dragged by the grippers 1a along by the transverse wires of the mesh, and in order to apply a brake to the chains each restrainer shaft 4, which rotates with the chain wheels 2., has mounted on its end a sprocket wheel 10 which drives, through a chain 11 and a second sprocket wheel 12, and oil pump 13, which pumps oil from a tank 14 through a conduit and back into the tank. In this oil conduit there is a throttling valve 15 which allows the resistance to the flow of oil to be adjusted whereby the pump acts as a. hydraulic brake, restraining the rotation of the restrainer shaft 4.

Any other kind of braking can of course be used for restraining the movement of the hooked chain 1. For example a mechanical energy dissipating device such as a brake drum and brake shoes, or a brake drum with a braking strap could be used.

In order to ensure that the hooked chains 1 push with sufiicient thrust against the coil of wire mesh, the other end of each applicator lever 8 is connected to a piston 17 which slides in a cylinder 16. During the coiling process oil is supplied under pressure to the upper face of the piston 17, so that the applicator lever 8 tends to pivot, thrusting the restrainer shaft 4 and the hooked chain 1 up against the coiling mandrel 18, or against the coil 19 of wire mesh. Here again of course instead of a hydraulic ram a pneumatic ram or some other suitable kind of thrusting device could be used.

Each chain wheel housing 7 is mounted pivotally on the restrainer shaft 4 and functions as a single armed lever spring loaded by a spring 20, which also tends to push the hooked chain up against the coiling mandrel or against the coil of wire mesh. The other ends of the springs 20 act against a. supporting rail 21 attached to the applicator levers 8. Instead of the springs 20 and 6 pneumatic or hydraulic rams could be used.

On top of the applicator lever 8 there is mounted a guide plate 22 over which the wire mesh 24 slides, before the beginning of the coiling process, into the anchoring slot 23 of the coiling mandrel 18, which has previously been rotated suitably into position.

The operation of the coiling machine described above is as follows: Actuation of the piston 17 in the cylinder 16 rocks the actuator levers 8, thereby lifting the chain wheel housings 7, so that the hooked chains 1 are thrust towards the coiling mandrel 18, the chains coming to lie flush against the surface of the mandrel over part of its periphery. This movement pulls the chain wheels 3 in towards the braking chain wheels 2, and the springs 6, which engage with the lower arms of the two-armed fork levers which support the chain tensioner wheels 3, are compressed. To bring the hooked chains 1 into full contact with the surface of the coiling mandrel, the chain wheel housing 7 must pivot about the restrainer shafts 4 and in this pivoting movement the springs 20 are compressed.

The coiling machine is now in the position shown in FIGURE 1. The leading end of the length of wire mesh 24 has been advanced in the direction of the arrow P by a mesh welding machine or the like, the mesh sliding over the surface of the guide plate 22 which is mounted on the upper surfaces of the applicator levers 8. The leading end of the mesh has been introduced into the anchoring slots 23 of the coiling mandrel 18.

The coiling machine is now started up, by switching on a motor which is not shown in the drawing, either by hand or through a suitable relay. The coiling mandrel 18 begins rotating in the direction of the arrow P1 in FIGURE 2. The coiling mandrel 18, and the beginning of the mesh 24, slide over the tops of the hooks 1a of the hooked chain 1 until a transverse wire engages with a hook of one of the chains, whereupon this chain is dragged along with the mesh. Each chain 1 is in frictional engagement with one of the chain wheels 2, which is itself fixed to one of the restrainer shafts 4, which therefore now begins to rotate. The sprocket wheel 10, being fixed to the restrainer shaft 4, now also rotates, driving the sprocket wheel 12 through the chain 11 and thus driving the pump 13, whose rotation is restrained by the resistance of the throttle valve 14 to the flow of hydraulic fluid.

With continuation of the coiling process the diameter of the coil 19 of wire mesh increases, and the end of each applicator lever 8 is pushed downwards by the restrainer shaft 4, the applicator lever 8 pivoting about the bearing shaft 9, pushing the piston 17 upwards in the cylinder 16 against the oil pressure acting on the upper face of the piston.

At the same time the thrust spring 20 extends, pivoting the chain wheel housing 7 about the restrainer shaft 4 in a direction opposite to that of the pivoting movement of the applicator lever 8. Consequently, under the influence of the spring 6, the hooked chain 14 is constantly pushed all through the coiling operation, firmly up against the coil of mesh, in regard to the length of hooked chain between the chain wheel 2 and the tensioning wheel 3, while the circumference of the coil of mesh 19 constantly increases.

As soon as sufiicient wire mesh has been coiled on to the coiling mandrel 18, the rotation of the mandrel is stopped. After the trailing end of the length of wire mesh has been tied to the coil, the piston 17 is raised in the cylinder 16, pivoting the applicator lever 8 anticlockwise until the hooked chain 1 disengages from the coiled mesh, whereupon the completed coil of mesh is pulled off the coiling mandrel in a well known manner.

I claim:

1. In a coiling machine for coiling wire mesh consisting of wires extending longitudinally and transversely bonded together at their crossing points, the machine including a power-driven coiling mandrel and an applicator device which presses said wire mesh inwards towards said coiling mandrel during the coiling operation, the improvement wherein said applicator device includes at least one endless coherent series of grippers, means mounting said grippers for movement around an endless closed path, said grippers projecting, along a part of said path, into the path along which the transversely extending wires move during said coiling operation whereby said grippers are dragged along by said transverse wires during said operation, and a device for restraining the movement of said grippers around said path whereby said grippers act to tension said wire mesh as it is coiled.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least two series of said grippers and means adjustably mounting said grippers to enable the position of said grippers in a direction axially of said coiling mandrel to be adjusted.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a pluality of series of grippers and a separate movement restraining device for each of said series.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said series of grippers comprises a braking chain wheel, a tensioning wheel, means connecting said movement restraining device to said braking chain wheel, an endless chain extending around said braking chain wheel and said tensioning wheel and a series of hooks on said chain.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a restrainer shaft, means connecting said restrainer shaft to said movement restraining device and means mounting said braking chain wheel on said restrainer shaft.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein said movement restraining device comprises a closed oil circuit, an adjustable throttling device in said circuit, an oil pump for pumping oil around said closed circuit and through said adjustable throttling valve and transmission means drivingly connecting said oil pump to said restrainer shaft.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, comprising a two-armed lever, means mounting said chain tensioning wheel on one arm of said two-armed lever and a spring acting on the other arm of said lever.

'8. A machine as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a one-armed lever, said one-armed lever defining a chain Wheel housing, means mounting said two-armed lever on said one-armed lever, means mounting said one-armed lever on said restrainer shaft and an applicator spring acting on said one-armed lever to press said series of grippers inwards towards said coiling mandrel.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a two-armed applicator lever, means mounting said applicator lever for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to said coiling mandrel, and means mounting said restrainer shaft on one end of said applicator lever.

10. A machine as claimed in claim -8, further comprising a rail attached to said applicator levers of two series of grippers, and said applicator springs associated with said series of grippers acting between said one-armed levers and said rail.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a guide plate which guides said length of wire mesh as it is fed to said coiling mandrel and means mounting said guide plate on top of said applicator lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 242-75.1 

